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Friday, August 15, 2014

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.– The Little Rock Zoo is proud to
announce that an African penguin chick successfully hatched on July 28
and is doing well.

The egg was laid by penguin parents Skipper and
Eze, also parents to penguins Gilligan and Bugsy, two chicks previously
hatched at the Little Rock Zoo. The chick currently weighs only 700
grams but only weighed 62 grams when it hatched.

Unlike Gilligan
and Bugsy, this chick is being hand-raised by keepers because its
parents abandoned the egg after it was laid. Keeper staff successfully
incubated the egg in a brooder meant for chicks and are hand feeding it a
formula of fish krill. Initially, the chick was fed every three hours
around the clock. Now, the chick is fed every four hours during the
day.

The chick will not be on exhibit until it is old enough to
swim on its own. The sex of the chick has not been determined yet and
will be determined by a blood test. The chick has not yet been given a
name by keeper staff.

This latest addition to the Zoo's colony of
African penguins at the Laura P. Nichols Penguin Ponte exhibit comes at
the recommendation of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for the African
penguin, a conservation program of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA). The African penguin is an endangered species whose population
has declined more than 95% since pre-industrial times. The African
penguin is threatened by oil spills, overfishing, and climate change.

The Little Rock Zoo is proud to announce that an African penguin chick successfully hatched on July 28 and is doing well. (Photo: LR Zoo)

Live Blackfooted Penguins in HD - Monterey Bay Aquarium

Aquarium of the Pacific Live Penguin Cam

Listen to the Gentoo Purr

The Torgersen Island Penguin Camera

The Penguin Camera is located on Torgersen Island (64°46’S, 64°04’W), off the coast of Anvers Island and less than a mile from Palmer Station. Torgersen Island is home to a colony of Adélie penguins numbering approximately 2,500. This camera is seasonal and operates primarily from October to February, the Adélie breeding season. The camera is solar-powered and may sometimes experience brief outages due to inclement weather. School classrooms and other educational demonstrations will often take control of the camera, moving it to gain better views of the colony.